Sacreda Chapter 3: The Eidolon Handler, a final fantasy x-overs fanfic

Disclaimer:

Note: When Yuna and her guardians visit each Final Fantasy the events in my fanfic are set AFTER the games' endings therefore there will most likely be spoilers for the endings of 9,8 and 7.

2. The Eidolon Handler

Yuna awoke early, just as the first morning light poured in from top deck. She wasn't sure why she was back in the lower cabin but she guessed Kimarhi had something to do with it. She could smell the strong musk of leather before she had even opened her eyes and, due to the heat, she felt like she could go to sleep again which she might have done if the voice of Wakka hadn't hit sharply in her ear.

"I can't believe we just sailed through t-t-the sun of all things and you think that's normal? If I do believe it, which at the moment I don't, isn't that dangerous? The boat could've been burnt to a shred! Well, aren't you going to say anything Lu?"
There was a pause followed by a slight chuckle.
"You really have no imagination do you Wakka? The world is black and white to you of course. Why don't you use your mind to think of a rational explanation for once? Don't you ever think for yourself?"
"W-?"

Yuna laughed silently under her breath as she listened out for his familiar stammers that followed, right on cue, shortly afterwards. She didn't want to take sides, after all she hadn't heard the best part of the argument, but she did think that what Lulu had said was true. It wasn't that she disliked Wakka- far from it- but she knew as well as Lulu did that he wasn't one to welcome anything that wasn't explained in Yevon's teachings and tended not to use his own mind to come to a conclusion.

"W-w-w-e"
"Enough Wakka, the goldfish look doesn't suit you."
And, just like Lulu, she turned away. Her killer move in which she had finished off her prey was complete and the morning's foul mood was looking for the next victim.
"Now where is Yuna?"

At the sound of her name, Yuna quickly got up. She knew that if Lulu had to come looking for her then she well be the dessert and she didn't fancy being the next gawping goldfish.
"Kimarhi did you leave her in the lower cabin?"
The bold beast nodded and crossed his arms like a big chief of some tribe but said nothing.

It was at this point Yuna entered the deck and the guardians were glad to see they didn't have to wake her up.
"You real sleepy head this-" Wakka began as Yuna interrupted.
"I heard you two arguing again. You really should just laugh at it and let it go. Life's too short to argue about such pointless things…"
She sighed and bent over the side of the ship, her reflection quivering on the water in the pleasant morning breeze.

Suddenly no guardian, not even Lulu, could say anything. They all knew what the end journey would result in for their young summoner and it filled them with dread to talk about it. They knew that after Yuna had proved herself a summoner, after Sacreda, she would have received her first aeon and would be on her final journey. Even though they were guardians who were to protect their summoner as their first duty, it secretly pained them to think that she was to die. With Yuna's words echoing in their minds they could not escape, all of them had retreated to their own thoughts of the same nature. Death...

Yuna looked up from the water, and her quivering reflection slowly faded into different colours, eventually disappearing completely.
"I think we should go now," she said softly, breaking through the awkward silence.
"Hmm? Yes… yes, we should get going now " Lulu responded, and she pushed her personal involvement as far away from her mind as she could, "Wakka? Kimarhi?"

" Ah the Lady Summoner Yuna is still aboard?"
The guardians and Yuna turned to face a pale crewman with light blonde hair and blue eyes that twinkled like bright stars in the reflection of the sky.
" We will now be leaving," Lulu informed the man." If you would…"
" Oh!"
The man seemed somewhat relieved of this quick departure and had forgotten to draw down the bridge in which he felt rather stupid.
" Sorry ma'm, just this way."
And he led them off, his face, though flushed in all the heat and forgetfulness, still as pale as ever.
" Full speed ahead!"

The guardians watched him pull up the anchor and signal to the crew. Within a few minutes, the strange boat had turned silently above the water.
"Wha-"
Lulu silenced Wakka's outburst and her eyes attuned once more to the strange sight before her.
"Just watch…"

The ship seemed like a silvery hologram surrounded by a vaporous mist. Its portholes were gleaming brightly like a flashlight was shining upon them and reflecting beams of light out to the sea. Up went its sails and then, as if they had all blinked, it was gone with only the distant noise of its horn floating amongst the air.

"What was that?" Wakka announced as soon as the boat had vanished and the hovering mist that had once surrounded the base of the ship faded into nothing but a slight wind that rippled on the water's surface.
"A ghost ship created by Yevon to take the summoner to their Sacreda. How else would you get a ship through the sun? It's a good thing I'm here really…" Lulu informed him and her moogle nodded with her, as if it too knew about it.

Yuna had to admit that she had been just as blind as Wakka- the ghostly door, the pale crewmembers and the disappearing girl she had just this moment remembered seemed so obvious that she felt stupid. She didn't want to speak so not to reveal this to anyone but Wakka had obviously found his chance to put down Lulu, a chance he would not easily surpass.

"I suppose you know where we are too, ya? You may have come with other summoners but you said it yourself, every summoner has a different and unknown S…"
"We're at Serpent's Gate."
She had nothing short of amazed everyone around her.
"How do you know that?"
Wakka's attempts to regain his self-respect were slowly sinking into the desperate hole they had come from… sinking… sinking… dissolved into a piece of dirt under Lulu's feet.

Lulu shook her head in absolute desperation and her long purple fingernail pointed behind her.
"Because it says so."
She laughed at the sign that read clearly:

SERPENT'S GATE

Then walked off, her moogle chasing after her skirt's netted hems.
"Grr… I knew that!" Wakka said under his breath and he too ran after her, leaving Yuna and Kimarhi behind.

"We go now Yuna."
A large paw on her shoulder told Yuna that Kimarhi was waiting for her to leave.
"HALT!"
Before she had even taken a step, a tall man clad in knight's armour stopped them, his hand held at his head and his chest rising up and down in shallow breathing.
"What business do you have to be here?"
"My name is Yuna. I am a summoner from Spira…"
Her voice trailed off as the knight's face fell blank but it quickly recuperated.
"The Queen will be short to arrive. I would ask of you to go to the castle to await the Queen's arrival rather than here. If you would…"

Yuna felt herself being shuffled along but Kimarhi was having none of it and grabbed the knight's hand viciously with a gruff noise.
" W-Whoa! Alright, alright…"
The knight shook his hand that had been gripped firmly by the giant of a beast as they all entered a large dungeon-like chamber with two carriages waiting, their engines slightly chugging and warm. It was dark and Yuna had to adjust her eyes to see the rest of the guardians.

Lulu was waiting patiently by the side of one of the carriages, the usual serious look upon her face that gave away none of her personal feelings, while Wakka sat on the right one, his arms folded.
" What took you so long?" he said, with a degree of frustration ridden upon his concern.
" Apparently there is a Queen coming to this castle," Yuna educated him and she made her way towards where her guardians were.
" This knight told me that we must leave for there-"

A long fanfare was heard and the knight became more flustered.
"I would beg of you to go to the castle. I do not wish to miss the Queen's arrival myself…"
Lulu, without further ado, stood up on the carriage, hitched her leather skirt up and sat down. Once she was settled, everyone else joined her and the carriage sped towards the castle finally stopping at its destination, its engine hissing a little steam.

"Where have you been, Pluto Knight VII?" an unknown woman's voice said sharply once the engine gears had completely stopped turning.
"What are you doing in that carriage? Report at once!"
The Pluto Knight stumbled off the runner and tried, in vain, to appear professional.
"Sorry ma'm… I mean Beatrix… I mean…"
"VII, I think you should go and provide back up for the knights. I have been informed that the Hilda Garde is arriving in a matter of minutes!"

Yuna watched as the woman flicked her hair back and stalked off, leaving the knight in even more of a panic.
"This must be an important day here," Lulu noted and she too watched the woman disappear out of the doorway and the knight run off towards a large gathering crowd.
"Let us go and see the Queen," Yuna smiled and, following the knight, she made her way towards the massive airship that had just landed.

"The Queen of Alexandria…"

"Remember last time she was here? That play she held…"

"Oh yeah… "I Want to be your Canary' she got her own surprise though…"

"It will be great to welcome her back here…"

Yuna heard the crowd talking in excited whispers and began to feel wrapped up in the atmosphere. She had never seen a Queen before, after all Spira had never been ruled by one. She imagined an older woman with a grand red velvet dress and a jeweled tiara but when the doors parted she was surprised to see a girl of her age with large brown eyes and long hair.

Behind her, and looking quite stern, was another knight although Yuna guessed that he was of more importance than the one who had escorted her to the castle.

"Lord Steiner sure looks grander at this visit…"

Yuna looked at him and felt a sudden urge to have a knight accompany her but then she looked at her guardians and it quickly passed.

"My friends of Lindblum. Thank you for such a warm welcome. It seems such a long time since I have arrived here," the Queen addressed the crowd suddenly, speaking in a mixture of what a Queen would be expected to sound like- prim and proper- and a more down-to-earth way. Yuna felt great admiration towards her, both her eyes fixated, but it soon came to an end.

" Yuna can you see what I can see?"
Lulu's bitter voice broke through Yuna's captivated vision and the moogle on her guardian's hand slid beneath her arm, its little body shuddering its purple wings. Yuna was suddenly aware of what was happening around her. There were sudden gasps in the audience and Yuna could see, rising above the airship, a large flying monster that's mighty snarl filled her ears and caused them to buzz viciously. It looked as though it was made of a blue velvet with eyes like blazing red slits and with wings that were so powerful it created nothing short of a gale. She could see the knights arming one after another as the gasping crowd dragged her away, against her will, and she knew, deep down that it wasn't enough to defeat it, she knew that if they tried to kill it that the results would be disastrous.

Almost immediately she felt like she couldn't watch any longer, she had to do something- it was her duty to look out for others.
" My duty..." she whispered and she held tightly onto a banister, her hair fanning around her head in the gale.
" Yuna... hold on tighter!" Lulu's sharp voice cried in a panic, as if the summoner would be swept away any moment.
" I-I MUST DO SOMETHING!" Yuna felt her voice say, not sure if she should have said anything at all.
Lulu's serious face turned whiter than normal.
" Listen to me Yuna that is one strong fiend, all of us together could not kill it!" Lulu cried and by now she was holding on to a statue.
" I-I CAN'T JUST LEAVE THEM TO DIE! THE QUEEN COULD DIE!"
"You could die Yuna. It's not worth it!"

Yuna's eyes were filled with the terror that lay before her and she could feel her head throbbing like there was something growing out of it. She could feel her heart pounding so fast that if she dared to ignore it then it may have broken in two at any time.
"I'm sorry but I must!"
She looked at her hands that were wet with apprehensive sweat and, before she knew what she was doing, she felt herself sprint away from her desperate guardians, the sound of her feet hardly making a sound under the castle's thick carpet. All she could hear was the sound of her own heartbeat thumping and a few distant cries unsure what to do. She felt like she didn't know what to do either but it was too late now- just as she thought, the knights were toppled over like a stack of loose dominos and only the one that protected the Queen remained.

Yuna could see her much more clearly now, her eyes were much more concentrated then that of anyone else but still Yuna could see a slight shake in her steady hand. She was now at the base of the airship surrounded by Beatrix and Steiner.
"The Queen… the Queen is going to fight!" someone in the crowd cried and they watched in terror as upon the Queen's forehead appeared a brief hologram of a horn. Yuna felt something growing out of her head too but she ignored it.
" She's a summoner!" Lulu said, eventually breaking away from the statue she had clung on for so long to as, out of the air, came a large dragon that swooped down. Yuna recognised it as an aeon...
" Bahumat?"
It roared loudly and its echo jumped across the castle's walls as it performed its first attack, the people below watching in awe.

It didn't take long for the flying monster with the red eyes and blue body to fall weak and, soon after, it admitted defeat. As it left, Yuna felt her forehead again- there was nothing there and, in either complete exhaustion or bewilderment in what she had just risked, she fell to her knees as the crowd towered over her- not seeing the young woman that lay between their feet.

"Sorry folks there's nothing left to see," the voice of Beatrix called out to the people just as a man with a moustache and a young girl with purple hair met her, the Queen and Steiner.
The crowds were still whispering amongst another but left slowly, still excited in light of the recent events. Yuna saw this and she realised that it was time to move- she had found a summoner and that was all that concerned her.
"I must speak with her!" she cried in a sudden outburst and, gathering all her strength, she rushed past the people to reach the Queen.
"Yuna!"
Kimarhi's growl echoed throughout the castle but Yuna kept going, determined to meet with the Queen.

"Your majesty!" she cried, just as Her Highness was about to leave. The Queen appeared interested by the sudden appearance of Yuna.
"Who are you? Please stay away from the royal highness!" Steiner cried, his black pupils becoming wider. "I ask you to properly conduct yourself to the Queen at once!"
"Steiner, please."
The Queen hushed the knight and approached Yuna as if she was a rare specimen in a jar.
"Who might you be? I saw you in the crowd- those eyes, that horn…"
It was at this point the guardians had caught up.
"Horn?" Yuna repeated, and a whisper in the air circled around her causing her head to pulsate once more. The Queen smiled warmly at this.
"A summoner… you have traveled far I believe. I am Garnet"
" Yuna"
" Eiko"
Yuna turned her head to see the little girl with the purple hair also possessed a horn.
" Pleased to meet… you… both," Yuna said and her voice became weaker. Her head had become dizzy under the presence of the holographic horn and felt like it was spinning...

" Are you alright? …"

" Yuna…"

"She has gone pale…"

"Yuna…"

Everything suddenly turned black and Yuna's head felt as though it was made of marshmallows and that she had lost all feeling, floating in a black hole or wait- was it? She felt so alone. What was going on? She was standing upon a reflective piece of glass and in her ears echoed the Hymn of the Fayth… she felt her lips hum to each note..."Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm. Hmm, hmm, hmmhmmhmm…"

"Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm. Hmm, hmm, hmmhmmhmm…"
"Yuna? She's awake!"
When she found she could finally feel her legs, Yuna had awoken in a different castle entirely with all of her guardians surrounding her.
"You o.k now?" Wakka cried, just a hazy blur in Yuna's tired eyes.
"I'm fine," Yuna heard herself say and she moved Lulu's hand from her forehead and placed her own there to support the wet flannel that lay flat on her head.

"CURAGA!"
Queen Garnet had entered the room and Yuna felt her body go through the weirdest sensation as if a million curing hands were touching her.
"Please drink this," Garnet began and she was stirring a chalice that was smoking heavily, "It will help cure the pain in your head…"
Yuna reached out for the chalice and slowly began to drink. It slid warmly down her throat and, when it reached a certain point, spread out to the tips of her fingers and to the top of her head.
"A summoner without a horn is sure to have such pain," Garnet continued once Yuna had drank every last drop of the liquid, "I am certain because I too used to suffer. My horn was broken off when I was just a baby"

Yuna did not believe entirely that this was to blame but it made most sense. After all, in Spira, there was no need for such a characteristic but it seemed custom in the new world that all summoners (apart from Garnet) had a horn. She wanted to ask some more questions about it but it came out as one that had been drifting in and out of head for quite some time.
"Where are we?"
"You are in my castle, Alexandria. Once you are feeling better we can talk more but I think you should be left to get some rest now," Garnet replied and she signaled for the guardians to leave with her, "Sleep well."

Yuna closed her eyes, feeling as if she had been awake for a century, listening to everyone leave and the door close with them. It wasn't long until she heard some voices she had kept to herself, voices she could only hear in the distance.

"Is anyone there? Hellooooooooooooo! Auron!"

Yuna knew of an Auron- her father's guardian- but she didn't understand who this particular speaker was or why the voice was affecting her. However, it didn't feel strange to be hearing voices in her sleep but, almost, good she hated to admit to herself. Whoever the speaker was reassured her somehow… whoever it was she secretly hoped to meet but she was thinking the only way to meet him was through this… dream.

(Please review! Thank you! O;) )